New regional visa for the Gold Coast! The Gold Coast has been designated regional! So what does this mean for you?
For those wishing to study, if they choose to undertake a 2-year program/programs in a Gold Coast Education provider, it will enable them to gain 5 additional points for regional study.
They must live and study in the region (this is on top of the 5 points given for completing two years of relevant study in Australia). As well as this, studying in a regional area like the Gold Coast at a University level (Bachelor, Masters, or Ph.D.) for 2 years will allow graduates to apply for an extra year on their post-study work visa. This means more time to get Australian experience, more points, or potentially find a sponsor.
It could enable certain occupations to access regional nomination points (15) from QLD using the 491 visas (the new version of the 489 visas) but it does not guarantee this as each region and state have different requirements.
Currently, the Queensland list requires all graduates to get experience ranging from 2 weeks full time (for the Post Graduate Alumni list up to 3 months for the Working in Queensland 491 Regional State-Sponsored – temporary) or 6 months for the 190 State-Sponsored – Permanent.
Note: some other states do not require experience on graduation and maybe a better option for you.
For those who can meet employer nominated sponsorship, if their occupation is on the relevant list – it would mean that they could gain a role, and be sponsored in that role in the relevant region using the 494 visa (which replaces the 187 visas). Both the 491 visas (points-based) and the 494 visas (employer-sponsored visas) are temporary and are granted for five years.
Upon meeting the transition requirements, the visa holder could then access PR (the new 191 visas) after 3 years.
Important information to note is that the 491 and the 494 visas both include a visa condition that restricts the holder from lodging certain types of PR visas until they have held their 491/494 for at least 3 years – this is built in to ensure that the visa holders do maintain a commitment to the relevant regional and contribute to the economy for the specified period.
It is exciting that the Gold Coast will benefit from additional students and migrants but before you decide to pack your bags and relocate to the sun surf and shopping – EMSA recommend that you get professional migration advice to ensure that you understand what the decision entails and that you are prepared for the pathway you are committing to! As a migration and education agency, EMSA specializes in helping our clients find pathways that fit their individual needs.
As everyone is different, the path toward your next visa may be different from that of your friend.
EMSA has a team of experts who can assist and advise you on planning the steps in your journey so contact us to arrange a consultation.